Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Book

Biochemistry, Myoglobin

Trey Vanek, Arpan Kohli  1
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
.
Affiliations
Free Books & Documents
Book

Biochemistry, Myoglobin

Trey Vanek et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

Myoglobin is a protein located primarily in the striated muscles of vertebrates. MB is the gene encoding myoglobin in humans. It encodes a single polypeptide chain with one oxygen binding site. Myoglobin contains a heme prosthetic group that can reversibly bind to oxygen. The body uses it as an oxygen storage protein in muscle. It is able to bind and release oxygen depending on the oxygen concentration in the cell. Its primary function, as a result, is to supply oxygen to myocytes. Myoglobin also functions in the hemostasis of nitric oxide. It additionally plays a role in the detoxification of reactive oxygen species. Myoglobin is the reason for the red color of the muscle of most vertebrates.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Trey Vanek declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Arpan Kohli declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

References

    1. Ordway GA, Garry DJ. Myoglobin: an essential hemoprotein in striated muscle. J Exp Biol. 2004 Sep;207(Pt 20):3441-6. - PubMed
    1. Koch J, Lüdemann J, Spies R, Last M, Amemiya CT, Burmester T. Unusual Diversity of Myoglobin Genes in the Lungfish. Mol Biol Evol. 2016 Dec;33(12):3033-3041. - PubMed
    1. Servonnet A, Dubost C, Martin G, Lefrère B, Fontan E, Ceppa F, Delacour H. [Myoglobin: still a useful biomarker in 2017?]. Ann Biol Clin (Paris) 2018 Apr 01;76(2):137-141. - PubMed
    1. Bicker A, Dietrich D, Gleixner E, Kristiansen G, Gorr TA, Hankeln T. Extensive transcriptional complexity during hypoxia-regulated expression of the myoglobin gene in cancer. Hum Mol Genet. 2014 Jan 15;23(2):479-90. - PubMed
    1. Silverstein TP, Kirk SR, Meyer SC, Holman KL. Myoglobin structure and function: A multiweek biochemistry laboratory project. Biochem Mol Biol Educ. 2015 May-Jun;43(3):181-8. - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources